South Burlington–Lund recently welcomed four new members to its Board of Trustees. They are Hal Cohen of Middlesex, VT; Valerie Nikel of Williston, VT; Manon O’Connor of South Burlington, VT; and Kimberlee Phelps of Burlington, VT. The agency, which provides adoption, treatment, and family support services to families across the state, is critical to strengthening Vermont families and creating a stronger Vermont community.
Hal Cohen
Hal is the Executive Director of Vermont Adult Learning (VAL), providing basic education, high school credentialing, English language learning and workforce development for Vermonters 16 years and older. He served as Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services under Governor Peter Shumlin and previously was the Executive Director for Capstone Community Action in central Vermont for over 18 years. Hal’s professional and civic involvement has included sitting on several local and state boards such as the Vermont Council on Rural Development, the Central Vermont Workforce Investment Board, the Vermont Workforce Development Council, Food Works, EarthWalk Vermont, Central Vermont Hunger Taskforce and the Vermont Low Income Trust for Electricity. He has an M.A. in counseling psychology from Antioch New England Graduate School and an M.S. in nonprofit management from the New School for Social Research. Hal resides with his wife in Middlesex, Vermont and has three grown children and two young grandchildren.
Valerie Nikel
Valerie has known about and been interested in Lund since moving to Burlington to study at the University of Vermont. Spending time as a volunteer led her to join the Finance Committee and later transition to the Development Committee. Her professional experience includes marketing, research, and event planning, with the past 12 years of her career focused on Human Resources. Valerie spent several years working for the State of Vermont, has spent time in consulting, and is currently the Director of Human Resources at PedsOne. She lives in Williston with her family.
Manon O’Connor
Manon serves as the Associate Vice President, Academic Health Sciences Development at the UVM Foundation and the UVM Medical Center. She has been with UVM for 21 years in progressive healthcare development roles. Prior, Manon was a longtime downtown business owner and has been active in the community as a volunteer with many non-profit organizations including the Lund board from 2014-2017. Manon lives in South Burlington with her husband John and is a mother and grandmother to a precious 2-year-old grandson. Manon is committed to furthering the mission of Lund and is passionate about creating a better world for children and families.
Kimberlee Phelps
Kimberlee is a Burlington native who returned to VT after some time living on the West Coast. Kim spent her entire career in the banking industry, retiring after more than 30 years with People’s United Bank as an SVP in Commercial Banking. She currently serves on the United Way of Northwestern Vermont’s Partner Funding Team and previously served on the board of the Burlington Chamber Orchestra. Kim has been aware of the important work that Lund provides to our community for decades and is grateful to have the opportunity to be part of this team.
